Low pressure to cyclone from South China Sea; Heavy rainfall warning in Kerala tonight

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The low-pressure area formed in the South China Sea intensified into a very severe depression. It is likely to intensify into a cyclone by midnight today. This phenomenon is likely to reflect in Kerala too with rain expected to be fierce for the coming week.

A cyclonic circulation has formed in the Bay of Bengal. As a result, the Indian Meteorological Department had earlier warned of the possibility of rain in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and the west coast of Maharashtra for the next 7-8 days.

The Thailand Meteorological Department said that the wind speed in the centre of the extreme low pressure in the South China Sea is 55 km/h. The extreme low pressure, which is moving in a north-northwesterly direction, will make landfall on Hainan Island as a cyclone by night. It is currently 700 km away from Hong Kong. It will pass through here and make landfall in China on June 13-14.

This will not seriously affect Thailand or Hong Kong but the pull effect will be palpable in Kerala.